Thankful for wonderful health care services
I am writing to remind everyone of the wonderful health care services we have in western Montana.
Recently, I had a total hip replacement procedure, performed at St. Patrick Hospital and Health Science Center, and received excellent care from the hospital staff and nurse attendants, both surgical and recovery.
If I have left anyone out, I sincerely apologize, for collectively you're all "miracle workers" in my mind. You took away my pain and gave me my life back. There simply are no words to adequately convey my deepest thanks.
We who are fortunate to live in western Montana should never take for granted the tremendous array of medical talent and services we have at our doorstep.
Dan Morgan, Missoula
Sheep are welcome sight on surrounding hills
Congratulations to Morgan Valliant of Missoula Parks and Recreation and John Stahl for their creative experiment to control invasive weeds on the North Hills, Mount Jumbo and Mount Sentinel (Missoulian, May 28).
Instead of spraying herbicides on leafy spurge and cheatgrass, 600 sheep are grazing the weeds and allowing native vegetation to prosper. We all benefit thanks to Valliant's and Stahl's innovative planning.
Anne Greene, Missoula
Thank you for all who made The Lake possible
Kudos to all who persevered to make The Lake at Splash Montana come to fruition.
It is a great addition to the already fantastic array of choices Missoula has for recreation. Swimming laps outside in a 50-meter pool is a joyful experience.
If you live in Missoula or anywhere near, stop by and check it out.
Thanks again!
Sue and Tim Furey, Missoula
Forest Service too restrictive
If you are under the age of 15 don't count on being able to legally ride an ATV of any kind outside of the Blue Mountain motorcycle area.
The Forest Service policy regarding OHV (Off-Highway Vehicles) is a prime example of environmental extremism at it's best.
I recently tried to take my 6-year-old son out for a easy motorcycle ride on a Forest Service road that gets very little use. My son is still learning to ride and is unable to navigate the motorcycle trail system at Blue Mountain. Keeping his safety in mind, we ventured to a Forest Service road off the beaten path that receives very little other traffic.
While unloading our bikes, a Forest Service law enforcement officer stopped us and advised us that we could not operate my son's Honda 50. The officer stated that all OHVs must be street legal and the operator must have a valid drivers license with a current motorcycle endorsement. This is a little hard to comply with when you have a Honda 50 that sits 2 feet tall and a boy who is 6 years old. You can imagine my son's impression of what the Forest Service stands for now.
I contacted the Forest Service to find out the facts. The facts are that the only legal place in the Missoula area for someone under age 15 or without a street legal OHV to ride is in the Blue Mountain motorcycle area. What happened to the Forest Service standing for mixed use?
If this seems ridiculous to you, then I would urge you to contact the Missoula Forest Service District and let them know that what their OHV policy is lacking is some good common sense.
Jeff Kroll, Lolo
Hunters, trappers drive agenda
After attending the June Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks commission meeting in Helena, I now understand that "manage" is a euphemism for "kill." When considering the management of species, questions about population size and vitality, genetics, habitat availability, mortality factors, etc. went unanswered while the desires of trappers and hunters moved to the fore.
FWP's own biologists argued that swift foxes (currently being reintroduced on two reservations) could be recreationally trapped at the same time their populations are being augmented. Thankfully, that no-brainer was scrapped.
Proposed 2009 quotas for Yellowstone's wild bison remain at 2008 levels, although half the herd has since died or been slaughtered at livestock industry demands. Herd genetics within the remaining population are unknown, with the possibility that some distinct bison groupings have been more heavily culled than others, and priceless wild diversity lost. The hunt quota trumped science.
A quota of 75 wolves has been tentatively established - for an animal fresh off Endangered Species Act listing, and for whom a like number was killed last year to ameliorate livestock predation. This hunt is premature - a federal lawsuit has been filed to stop delisting - but trophy collectors
are salivating.
Wolverines - rare, poorly-understood - are still trapped in Montana, the only state in the lower 48 to allow it. Lacking definitive population numbers (some researchers go as low as 150), FWP opts to give trappers their stuffed, mounted trophies while critical high-elevation habitat melts out from under imperiled wolverines. One commissioner ridiculed the notion of global warming to cheers from trappers.
Perhaps most telling? Trappers repeatedly referred to FWP biologists as "our biologists." It's time to pull the plug on this self-serving, good-old-boys network. Contact FWP by July 18 and remind them that science and survival trumps pelts and trophies, and if it doesn't, it should - even in Montana.
Kathleen Stachowski, Lolo
Wrong roads getting attention
I drive to Lolo very often and the road that was there before was very nice - smooth, no pot holes, nothing.
I thought to myself, what a waste of tax money. For pete's sake, make a new road on Russell Street - it is so awful that you need to hold your jaw together while driving through.
I find it very interesting that the roads that don't need any work get it the most. I also find it very interesting that there are too many car wrecks on that highway and yet the speed limit got up to 70 miles per hour. How funny.
Maria Chinikaylo, Missoula
|
 |
 |
Add your comment now! Write your comment in the form below.
(Email address is for verification only. If you'd like to email a story, look for the link above)